Swingarm Conversion Q's - Function or Looks

an upgrade to an aluminum is good a triangulated stocker is good
i run koni adjustables on a gs swinger with a did spoked rim
it works and looks good
and im only running a 140 tire
the most common mistake i see is a big fat tire on a skinny little rim

Les Wrote:

Godfrey, that's just rape! $1400 and change is just, rape! What are they, made of gold and welded with silver? Adams run what, 700 for a street style arm and a grand for a drag race arm and that's still high but if your gonna play your gonna pay. There is other choices.

I kinda thought so to but this was my first runin with anything even ressembling what you folks build, just reporting what I found .

LMAO some guy at work directed me to Motorcycle Superstore online and so far everything there to me is a High Price!

Myrtle West 240 Wide Tire Swingarms
Made of 6061 T-6 aircraft grade aluminum
Rear axle covers
The only covered axle swingarm with positive locking hardware
Custom designed tubing with central rib for added durability
Comes with a billet caliper mounting bracket
Comes with underbracing
Available in black powder-coated or chrome
Available in +6" or +10" over stock swingarm
Pre-drilled to mount a Myrtle west license plate bracket

jeffasaki wrote: an upgrade to an aluminum is good a triangulated stocker is good
i run koni adjustables on a gs swinger with a did spoked rim
it works and looks good
and im only running a 140 tire
the most common mistake i see is a big fat tire on a skinny little rim

...Koni is one of the shocks I'll be looking into. I ran them years ago and had great luck with them.

...commonly done and there no gain. The wrong tire on the wrong rim, can only lead to disaster.

But then again, it could be worse.
global.rakuten.com/en/store/motocorse/item/1033162/

Les

Yup , but you are talkin ducati like the old story of the same heater core goin in a plain jane Chevy and Cadillac, the Caddy costed 4 times as much for the same product. Bet if you ask nice you can get a kiss with this one, before they bend ya over.

krazyrider,

we are blessed to have some talent and knowledge on this forum in good folks who don't mind sharing some info. :evil:

have you seen the swingarms that les is building in his custom z1r thread?

super nice



rslingshot does an awesome busa swingarm,extended,underbraced conversion that anyone wanting a custom swingarm might think about for one of these old kz's.

i live in skiatook okla.(it's in my signature line :silly: .) :pinch:

i do not remember what i charged t-dub for the underbrace .

prolly not ENOUGH :ohmy: , :laugh: !

i work too cheap :sick: .

if you get serious about wanting a stocker underbraced shoot me a pm,i will come up with a price :woohoo: .

mark,

you ain't hurtin my feelings man :kiss: .


leon

Good words Leon! There are quite a lot of talented people here covering a vast array of skills from electrical, paint, fabrication. I don't do my thing for income, I do the 40 hr a week bit for that, I do it because I enjoy it and I'll bet most who offer up their help do it for the same reasons.
Godfrey, your right on the brand setting the price but that's still wrong and they know it, they just don't care. They figure if you own a Duccati you have taste and money, well, I have both, that slice of pizza for lunch tasted like cardboard and ketchup and I had more than enough money for a pepsi to wash it down.

KraZy, everything else being equal, narrow tyres handle better than wider ones. The wider the tyre, the more you need to lean the bike for any given cornering speed. The wider the tyre, the more leverage bumps have to push you off line and/or upset the bike. The wider the tyre, the heavier the steering becomes. The lesser the diameter of the wheel, the more lean you need for any given cornering speed. The greater the difference in width between front and rear tyre, the greater the difference in trajectory between the two ends of your machine.

So why does modern bikes wear these wide tyres, especially in the rear? For most people it's just for looks, style. For the very limited few it's also about grip. It's a testament to modern bike builders - and tyre designers - that current sport machines still handle amazingly well despite the challenges with their tyres. Take an absolutely stock KZ650 in every way and fit it with 17 in rims and 120/70 front radial and a 190/50 rear radial and you will end up with a bike a lot worse than stock as it wasn't designed for such wheels.

In other words, you have nothing to worry about staying with your stock wheels and good modern rubber in suitable sizes.

faffi wrote: KraZy, everything else being equal, narrow tyres handle better than wider ones. The wider the tyre, the more you need to lean the bike for any given cornering speed. The wider the tyre, the more leverage bumps have to push you off line and/or upset the bike. The wider the tyre, the heavier the steering becomes. The lesser the diameter of the wheel, the more lean you need for any given cornering speed. The greater the difference in width between front and rear tyre, the greater the difference in trajectory between the two ends of your machine.

So why does modern bikes wear these wide tyres, especially in the rear? For most people it's just for looks, style. For the very limited few it's also about grip. It's a testament to modern bike builders - and tyre designers - that current sport machines still handle amazingly well despite the challenges with their tyres. Take an absolutely stock KZ650 in every way and fit it with 17 in rims and 120/70 front radial and a 190/50 rear radial and you will end up with a bike a lot worse than stock as it wasn't designed for such wheels.

In other words, you have nothing to worry about staying with your stock wheels and good modern rubber in suitable sizes.

+1

Yup Leon, I've seen your underbraced swingarm , and I've been readin and watchin Les's thread too so seen his , both very fine lookin product. I haven't seen what rslingshot builds yet, but given what I've seen from you 2 if you say its good I'd buy it. I'm only a couple yrs younger then KraZyRIDER, more then happy just travelin down the highway, but I love watchin you folks build your dream machines, and I worked in a custom fab shop for 4 yrs about 27 yrs ago so I can appreciate all the work put into what you folks build.

Godfrey

les holt wrote: But then again, it could be worse.
global.rakuten.com/en/store/motocorse/item/1033162/

Les

...what is that thing, Platinum filled Titanium?

...that goes beyond the WOW factor, that's more like the OUCH factor! :huh:

Godfrey wrote: Yup , but you are talkin ducati like the old story of the same heater core goin in a plain jane Chevy and Cadillac, the Caddy costed 4 times as much for the same product. Bet if you ask nice you can get a kiss with this one, before they bend ya over.

...wait a minute, I've installed hundreds of heater cores in my time and the price difference between a Chevy and a Cadillac was the labor, not the part.

...and you can't tell me a Duke takes three times the time to swap a swingarm. That's just crazy pricing!

:S